Bad roads major reason for high cost of food items- Lai

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, Tuesday stated that the nation’s poor state of roads was responsible for the high cost of food items despite the Federal Government’s strides in the agricultural sector.

The Minister said this when he featured on Africa Independent Television (AIT’s) Current Affairs programme “Focus Nigeria”.

Mohammed said, “Despite the fact that the production of staples like rice, grains, yam has increased with the agriculture revolution of the government, food items are still on the high side.

“There are many reasons why the prices are still up there but principally, I think it is infrastructural deficit.

“By this, I mean what it takes to bring the produce from the farms to the farm gates and from the farm gates to the city centres and this may not improve until various road and rail projects are completed.

“The good news, however, is that from October this year, the General Electric, which has the concession for the 3,500 narrow gauge rail routes will commence work.

Read also: US imports $2.7bn Nigerian crude in 6 months, as Shale boom-inspired retreat wanes

“The Lagos to Kano standard gauge rail project and the Lagos to Calabar rail lines which will criss-cross all the South-eastern states are priority projects of the government.

“That will help in the transportation of goods and services including agricultural produce at a far cheaper fare and that will percolate to the common man”.

The minister added that, “there is so much demand on our grains and cereals from other parts of Africa.

“You cannot stop the farmers especially with the ECOWAS Protocols that allows for free movement of goods and services.

“There is also a lot of demand for our grains from other parts of the world and as a matter of fact, we got over N30 billion from agricultural export in the second quarter of this year.

“I believe that with the economy picking up and the various infrastructural development coming up, Nigeria will very soon start to feel some relief.

“Also the Presidential initiative to employ 10,000 people from each state in the agricultural sector will bring succour and a lot of relief”.

 

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now